Gear Advice

Review: Maxxeon Pocket Floodlight
I can't say I'm a true flashlight nut, but I do appreciate having something reliable to light up the night. I've owned several Maglites of various sizes, as well as several other name brand and off brand lights.
The Maxxeon WorkStar 330 Hunter's Pocket Floodlight leaves them all in the dark.
Maxxeon Pocket Floodlight First Impressions
The ...

Food and Water

Dehydrated vs Freeze-Dried Survival Food: Which Lasts Longer?Both dehydrated and freeze-dried emergency foods do significantly better in terms of shelf life and portability than food not processed these ways. But there are some significant differences.
Freeze-Dried Survival Food Lasts Longer
Dehydrating food will not extend the shelf life nearly as long as freeze-drying.
You can expect dehydrated fo...

Healthy Living

How to Treat a Black Widow Spider BiteColder temperatures mean spiders are headed indoors. In many parts of the country, that includes black widows. Here's how to treat a black widow bite.
Black Widows: Know Your Spider
Black widows typically have some sort of red marking on their abdomens, but not always. The marking is usually shaped like an hourglass. These spiders live under eave...

SHOP LIVING READY

The new Hunger Games: Mockingjay movie hits theaters this Thanksgiving, but you'll only find the real-world wilderness survival skills used by Katniss and the tributes in the Unofficial Hunger Games Wilderness Survival Guide.

Shelter

How to Make a Wikiup Survival ShelterWikiup: The Cadillac of Primitive Survival Shelters
A wikiup is essentially a "teepee" style shelter made with forest debris. There are other less time-consuming primitive shelters that you can make in a pinch. However, in a longer term survival scenario in colder weather, the wikiup is king for an important reason: it allows the use of a fire...

Homesteading

Survival Scenario: Would You Risk Your Entire Family to Save One Person?It's easy to think the entire family will be together when a disaster hits, but that's not always the case. In most survival scenarios, logistics will be a challenge. Everyone, from big city dwellers to rural homesteaders, needs to figure out how to gather everyone in one spot.
That hinges on a family communications plan, but let's take a look a...